Julio Iglesias, the millionaire crooner, has succumbed to parental pressure and gone back to university 35 years after he quit to pursue a singing career.

When I was 16, a programmer gave a careers talk at my school. He said, "Miss out the A-levels and degree. Get a job in IT and drive a flash car by the time you are 20". I didn't take his advice but when I did eventually work in IT, I spent many years wishing I had got a head start. Now I'm in my mid 40s and the jobs are harder to find, I am grateful for the little extra credibility my [philosophy] degree gives me.
Nik Morrell, UK

I think a degree can help you "jump the queue" in the career ladder but if you have the personality and the skills to be at the top, it's probably a waste of time. And I think that a PhD is waste of space unless you are very passionate about the suject that you are studing and would like to work in the same field after graduation.
Elaine, UK, now working in Vienna

Not having a degree has not caused me any difficulties with gaining a job. However, I am now in my 30s and younger people will find that they may 'need' a degree just to put them on a level footing - a situation caused by and perpetuated by HR departments who look down their noses at good people who have not obtained a degree.
K, UK

Having a degree is obviously beneficial from a career perspective, but from a personal perspective they are only really useful if they force a person to cultivate their critical capacity, and to seek out the bigger picture. Humanity and social science degrees appear to be getting better at this, but I am more doubtful in regards to the sciences.
James MacLaren, UK

With respect to James MacLaren's opinion, in my experience studying for a science degree will develop critical thinking capacity and provide a strong background in logic and mathematics which are useful in many industries.
Chris Boyne, UK

Six years after completing my degree (LLB) I am working in a totally unrelated field, where the direct knowledge I learned at university rarely enters my working life. I strongly believe I would not be as successful had I not spent three years of social and academic growth obtaining those three little letters.
Megan, UK

I studied at one of the best universities in the country to achieve a first in modern languages. This has landed me the job of a lifetime in data entry (detect the irony?) where I am underpaid and under-valued and made to feel like a total cretin. The cretins are the employers who think they can get something for nothing without causing resentment, depression and bitterness amongst the ambitious young graduates they take on.
Hannish, UK

I do not see a degree as a golden key which opens doors to better careers, but as a personal challenge, life experience and enjoyable event it simply unmissable.
Stephen Beat, UK

What difference has higher education - or a lack of it - made in your life? Let us know using the form below, or if you prefer to use your own e-mail program, send them to [email protected]